‘Hit by a Train, See That Ain’t Nice’: The Most Amazing Lyrics of the TWU’s Raptacular Subway Safety Video

Yesterday, the TWU released a mesmerizing rap video extolling the virtues of subway safety.

Set to the tune of 50 Cent’s “Lean Back,” the clip calls for straphangers to “Stand Back” amid a montage of general subterranean hustle and bustle. The star of the video is Noah Rodriguez, a train operator and art director for the union.

He delivers such gems as “Don’t walk through them cars, that’s prohibited / You could fall and die, or at the least you’ll be ticketed” and “Stop, if you think you can out run it, you’re insane / There is more than 400 tons of a train.”

The video definitely looks homemade (one scene features Death in the neon vest of an MTA worker) but there’s something to be said for the lyrics. We’ve compiled them for your reading pleasure below—just remember: Stand back.

From the Bronx, Manhattan, Queens and Staten.
We from New York, New York where things happen.

You end up on them tracks, no time to cower
Wishin’ the station agent could cut the power

Hit by a train, see that ain’t nice
You wanna move, New York
Not take your life

Maintain the one you have
But keep poking your head out to see the train coming
And then that trip will be your last

If an operator’s too close to cope with
Fatalities still rising and no body’s taking notice

Life changing events like robberies
People on the tracks, but nobody sees the harm to me